The Last of the Teahouses
Hawaii's Asian clientele support tea house-style restaurants in nearly every high-end hotel.
by
Philip
Hayworth
Hawaii's Asian clientele support tea house-style restaurants in nearly every high-end hotel. Throw down a few tatami mats, put up some shoji doors, hire girls in kimonos to serve tea and, bam, you've got a tea house, right?
Wrong. There are really only two "traditional" teahouses left on Oahu: Nuuanu Onsen and Natsunoya Teahouses.
Sure, they both offer tatami mats, shoji doors, tea and girls in kimonos. The difference is that Oahu's last two-remaining teahouses have history. They're the kind of places started by first-generation immigrants to Hawaii wanting to bring a bit of their Japanese homeland here. Families actually were born and raised in their rooms. They are one with their environments: for example, "onsen" is Japanese for natural spring and Nuuanu Onsen sits on a spring percolating water from Nuuanu Pali.
Imagine President Jimmy Carter driving the two miles mauka from Honolulu, taking a right on Laimi Street off the Pali Highway, and down a narrow, sloped road -- past the 1,000-year-old-looking Laimi Mini Mart -- to Nuuanu Onsen. He actually did that back in the 1970s, says Onsen's Manager Dorothy Kameda.
"The whole cast of Hawaii 5-0 used to come all the time, famous Kabuke actors, Japanese film star Machiko Keo," recalls Kameda. "Even President Carter came here."
Though the prices have gone up a bit ($25 for adults, half that for kids under 10), they were served basically the same eight courses prepared today by Onsen's chef: sushi, sashimi (raw fish), namasu (pickled cucumber), shrimp tempura, barbecue chicken, pork katsu, tofu and miso butterfish.
Between courses, they'd stretch, drink what they brought because neither teahouse has a liquor license, wander the two-story structure's five large rooms, or watch carp swim in the courtyard pond and regale each other with stories of politics and romance under the Nuuanu moon.
Today, Nuuanu Onsen is a lonely place. While roosters supply background noise, Nuuanu Onsen sits serene in famous and sacred Nuuanu Valley, bathed in thin 'ehu mist.
The 74-year-old building is charmingly weathered now. The ponds are gone but the spring still bubbles. And Kameda still cooks, cleans and humbly serves just as she's done for more than 60 years.
You can't help but feel that Nuuanu Onsen will go the way of all Oahu's teahouses. Three have closed since 1988 making the remaining two seem like brave soldiers on the battlefield of the Hawaii's competitive marketplace. Frankly, Onsen's 10,000 square-foot lot is probably worth far more than the building itself. Even Kameda's children show little interest in the business now, opting for professional work as doctors and teachers.
"The only thing that saves us is that we own the land," says Kameda. "My father was a believer in owning land." Her father, Jinshichi Topkairin, was sent to an Internment camp and released to continue his teahouse only after the war had ended.
Like Nuuanu Onsen, Natsunoya Teahouse began as a first-generation (Ichi-sei) man's simple dream. Shuichi Fujiwara purchased the nearly 1-acre property in 1921. Sitting high above Honolulu on Alewa Heights, Natsunoya today offers the same spectacular (though much changed) view of Honolulu and Pearl Harbors it did back in WWII.
Indeed, the view was so good that a Japanese Consulate diplomat -- a Natsunoya regular-- was later deported for spying for the Emperor. Most of Nastunoya's regular customers during the war were first-generation Japanese and many of them were thought to harbor loyalties to the Emperor.
Natsunoya's was eventually closed during the war and used as a Red Cross shelter.
Today, after $100,000-worth of renovations, Natsunoya's interesting past is its future. Its wooden hallways and alcoves showcase photographs and memorabilia of the past, creating a museum-like ambiance that should interest locals and tourists alike, says 36-year-old owner Lawrence Fujiwara, jr. His young blood and new ideas fuel the noisy success of Natsunoya today where five full-time and 25 part-time employees are kept busy serving 1,000 guests per week.
Clients book at least a week in advance for Natsunoya, though a waiting list is rare since the 78 year-old, two-story building can comfortably handle 300 people "Japanese style"(sitting) or 280 "American style" (chairs). On a very busy day, 450 people can be accommodated.
Konishike, the famed 500-pound, Hawaii-born Grand Sumo champion, comes by to sample mass quantities of their Local-style Japanese "grinds": katsu (breaded, deep-fried meats), fresh sashimi and sushi - even lobster salad. Masterminding the culinary operation is Head Chef Masao Matsuda, known for his intricate food sculptures, called Ikezukuri, as well as his cooking. Masao's efforts are supported by Japanese food specialist Chikao Yasui and sushi chef Hidemoto Kawai, all of whom have been with Natsunoya for 25 years.
"People can choose from special dishes or select from our buffets which run $20 for adults, $10 for kids six to 10 and free for kids five and under," says Fujiwara. "We cater parties and fund-raisers. We'll even do bento lunches."
Both teahouses require large party bookings one week in advance. Nuuanu Onsen prefers parties of least 20, though Natsunoya is flexible and will consider walk-in traffic.
For more information, contact Nuuanu Onsen, 87 Laimi Road, Honolulu, HI. 96817, (808) 595-2243 or Natsunoya Tea House, 1935 Makanani Drive, Honolulu, HI. 96817, (808) 595-4488.
The Last of the Teahouses